Band-cutter and feeder.



H. H. NIGHTINGALE 61 P. B. JANTZ.

BAND CUTTER AND FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. I913. RENEWED MAR. 13.1916.

Pateflted May 2, 1916.

3 SHEET$SHEET I.

WITNESSES:

H. H. NIGHTINGALE & P. B. .IANTZ.

BAND CUTTER AND FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8.19I3- RENEWED MAR. 13. I916. 1,181,609

Patented May 2, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTORS W/ T IVE 88E 8:

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H. H. NIGHTINGALE & P. B. JANTZ.

BAND CUTTER AND FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 19m. RENEWED MAR. |3.191s.

Patented May 2, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY H. NIGHTINGALE AND PETER B. JANTZ, OF GBEENSBURG, KANSAS.

BAND-CUTTER AND FEEDER.

Application filed May 8, 1913,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY H. NIGHT- INGALE and PETER B. JANTZ, citizensof the United States, residing at Greensburg, 1n the county of Kiowa andState of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBand-Cutters and Feeders; and we do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

Our invention relates to band cutters and feeders of the type ordinarilyused in connection with threshing machines, and has for its principalobject to provide a device of that class for cutting the bands ofoncoming sheaves of grain and spreading the grain prior to its deliveryto a threshing cylinder. In accomplishing this object we providemechanism for operating on the sheaves during their travel over aconveyer, which is adapted for cutting in the direction of travel of thesheaves and is actuated by a crank device whereby the cutting knife ismade to reciprocate in an elliptical path so that it is lifted over theoncoming sheaves during its backward travel and descends thereover andin contact therewith during its forward travel, together with a rearknife which is operated synchronously with the front knife andconsequently has some of the elliptical movement. The rear knife isarranged to cut during its forward travel and to rake the grain from theconveyer and distribute same over the retarder and threshing cylinder,so as to produce an even distribution and thereby facilitate thethreshing operation.

The cutter and feeder comprises a series or plurality of double knives,of the type mentioned, all of which are mounted on and adapted foroperation from a single crank shaft, the arms of which are arranged atangles to each other so that none of the knives operate parallel to eachother, although they all operate in parallel planes, thereby providing amechanism whereby Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Serial No. 766,353. Renewed March 13, 1916. Serial No. 83,940.

complete severing of the sheave bands and distribution of the grain iseffected.

The mechanism also comprises means for adjusting the retarder to varythe throat of the feeder and thereby adapt same for proper operation onstalk or headed grain or on dry or matted or damp grain.

In accomplishing the above noted objects we have provided improveddetails of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure I is a longitudinal verticalsection of a band cutter and feeder constructed according to ourinvention, showing one of the duplex knives. Fig. II is a side view ofthe feeder, showing the driving gear for the conveyer and retarder, andthe mechanism for adjusting the retarder. Fig. III is a view of theopposite side of the feeder. Fig. IV is an end perspective showing aplurality of the duplex knives and the adjusting mechanism for the rearknife beam. Figs. V to VIII inclusive show one of the knives in itsvarious cutting positions.

Referring more in detail to the parts, 1 designates a feeder casingwhich may be mounted on a threshing machine of any ordinary type (notshown) and carries a roller 2 over which the inner end of a beltconveyer 3 is adapted for travel.

Pivotally mounted on the shaft 4 which carries the inner end of theconveyer roller 2 are arms 5, the free ends of which carry a shaft 6,that extends through arcuatile slots 7 in the sides of the frame andcarries a retarder S which extends transversely through the frame 1.

Pivotally connected with each of the arms 5 is a link 9, the upper endof which is in turn pivotally connected with a bell crank lever 10 thatis journaled in a quadrant 11 on the top of the frame, and is adaptedfor locking engagement with the quadrant through the medium of a clamp12, so that the retarder shaft may be raised or lowered to vary thewidth of the throat through which grain is delivered from the conveyerto the threshing cylinder.

On one end of the retarder shaft is a sprocket wheel 13 which isoperatively con nected with a sprocket wheel 14 on the conveyer shaft 4by a belt 15 so that the retarder is driven positively from the conveyershaft, and on the opposite end of the conveyer shaft is a gear wheel 16which meshes with a pinion 17 on an idle shaft 18 that is journaled inthe side of the frame 1.

The idle shaft 18 carries a sprocket wheel 19 which is operativelyconnected with a.

wheel 20 on crank shaft 21 that is journaled in the upper portion of theframe above the inner end of the conveyer, and is in turn driven from abelt wheel so that when the crank shaft is in operation the con veyerand retarder operate synchronously therewith.

The feeder is, as above stated, adapted for use with a threshingmachine, the cylinder 24 and concave 25 of which are shown in order toillustrate their relation to the cutter and feeder, although the detailsof construction of such parts are not claimed as part of the presentinvention.

The part of crank shaft 21 between the sides of the frame is providedwith a plurality of crank members 27 which are extended radially fromthe axial line in different directions so that no two of the kniveswhich are mounted on the crank will operate parallel with each other.

Extending transversely across the rear of the feeder is a beam 29l1avingblocks 30 on its under face corresponding in number and alinement withthe crank members 27 on the shaft 21, the beam 29 being adapted for bothvertical and longitudinal adjustment on the feeder frame by reason ofits mounting on the brackets 31, each of which comprises a slottedstandard 32 which is connected with the frame by bolts 33 and may beraised or lowered to adjust the cutter knives to the condition of grainfed to the thresher.

Each of the standards 32 has a transverse upper arm 34 upon which thebeam 29 rests, and to which said beam is secured by the bolts 35 so thatthe beam may be moved forwardly or back on the supporting arms to adjustthe cutter bars longitudinally to compensate for wear of the bearings,in order to maintain a rigid mounting of the knives.

Each knife comprises a frame 37, the forward end of which carries abearing 38 within which one of the crank members 27 is revolublymounted, and the rear end of which is extended downwardly at an angletoward the threshing cylinder.

Pivotally mounted about the center of the frame 31, and extendingforwardly beneath the frame, is a bar 39 having an upturned forward end40 and having a slotted hanger 41 adjustably connected with the forwardend of the knife frame by a bolt 42 so that the forward end of the knifemay be raised or lowered to bring the cutting blades into closer or moreremote relation to the conveyer.

The blades 44 which are fixed on the forward end of the bar 39 and onthe upturned extension 40 preferably comprise ordinary mower sicklesections and have their cutting edges directed backwardly toward thethreshing cylinder, so that they will cut during the backward travel ofthe bar 39 and assist in raking the grain inwardly toward the retardersimultaneously with the cutting action.

The rear knife member comprises a hanger 46 which is pivotally supportedfrom one of the blocks 30 on the cross beam 29 and has a forwardlydirected arm 47 provided with a bearing block 48 which is rigidlyconnected with the rear end of the knife frame extension 37.

Rigiclly fixed to an ear 49 on the rear of the hanger 46 is a cutter bar50 which extends below and at the end of the extension 37, and is turnedupwardly at its free end so as to extend between the arms of saidextension, the tip of said cutter bar being turned upwardly at an angleto the body of the bar to form a stop 51, of such length that when thecutter bar is at its upward and downward limit the tip 51 will remainbetween the members of the bar extension to prevent straw from enteringand clogging the extension and thereby interfere with the properoperation of the cutter bar.

The bar 50 is provided with blades 52 preferably consisting of ordinarymower sickle sections but arranged with their cutting faces directedforwardly so that the rear knife member will cut during the forwardtravel of the knife and thereby insure the severing of bands which mightpass uncut through the upper knife parts, the sections also serving tospread the sheaves as the latter pass over the inner end of the conveyerand over the retarder. The upturned end of the cutter bar is alsoprovided with one of the sickle sections so that it both cuts andspreads the grain during the travel of the knife.

As before stated, the band cutter comprises any number of knife setswhich are arranged on the crank shaft so that they will act in differentplanes, although all of the planes of operation of both the forward andrear knife members are parallel.

In using the device, presuming the parts to be constructed and assembledas described, when the crank shaft 21 is operated by means of the beltwheel 22 from a suitable driver (not shown), the crank shaft is revolvedand actuates the conveyer and re tarder through the gearing heretoforedescribed, so that sheaves of grain may be carried by the conveyor topass below the forward knife members and on from the conveyer betweenthe retarder and the rear knife members in order to enter the cylinder.While the conveyer and retarder are operating, the crank actuates theseries of knives, so that the upper knife members oscillate inelliptical paths over the inner end of the conveyer, the downwardmovement, or the movement which bring the knives closest to theconveyer, being, as the knives move backwardly, so that the knives comedown on the sheaves in the same direction as the sheaves are traveling,and as the knives travel faster than the sheaves the blades are drawnthrough the straw and against the bands so that the latter are cut, thedifference in speed of the conveyer and knives also serving to force theknives forwardly through the sheaves and spread the grain after thebands have been cut. Vhen the forward knife members reach their rearwardlimit, the frames are drawn back by rearward movement of the crank, thesame action, however, serving to lift the knife frames so that thebackward movement of each upper knife member is in an elliptical planeabove the cutting path cutting member, so that the knife during itsrearward movement will be out of contact with the oncoming grain andtherefore will not interfere with the feeding travel thereof. As theknife frame moves back to carry the front knife member through thecutting path just described, it moves the hanger 4L6 rearwardly so thatthe cutter bar 60 is moved back, and, owing to the shape of the bar, thebody portion which carries the knife sections is brought downwardly andrearwardly until when the rear limit of travel is reached the said bodymember is in substantially a horizontal plane, the extension 51 howeverbeing of suflicient length to retain its position between the framemembers 37 so as to bar the admission of straw between the framemembers.

It is apparent that while the rear knife member is being moveddownwardly and rearwardly, the knife sections engage the straw which hasbeen forwarded over the rear end of the conveyer and rake said strawover the retarder and into the threshing cylinder, spreading the grainlaterally during such raking actuation. It is also apparent thatalthough the cutting edges of the knife sections are directed forwardly,the downward and rearward movement of the knife member would bring thecutting edges into contact with uncut bands, so that any bands whichmight pass through the front of the knife without being cut would besevered by the rear knives. After the knife has passed to its rear limitand starts forwardly the rear knife member returns to its upper positionthrough the same path that the knife blades are now by Which it reachedits outward limit, so

brought directly into contact with the grain and will serve topositively cut any previously unsevered bands and at the same time serveto spread the grain by passing forwardly therethrough.

It is apparent that by providing a plurality of the knife sets andarranging each set so that it will travel in an independent path therewill be a constant cutting and spreading action of the knives on theoncoming grain and at no time will any grain be allowed to pass into thecylinder without having been engaged by both forward and rear knifemembers.

It is apparent that by means of the retarder the throat of the feedermay be made larger or smaller to accommodate grain of differentconditions, so that a perfect cutting and feeding operation may be hadat all times.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In a band cutter and feeder, an inclosing casing, a crank shaft insaid casing, a knife frame journaled on said crank shaft, having anextension, and a cutter pivotally mounted on said casing and on theextension of said knife frame and adapted for movement above and belowsaid knife frame extension.

2. In a band cutter and feeder, an inclosing casing, a crank shaftrevolubly mounted in said casing, a knife frame journaled on said crankshaft having a slotted extension and a cutter pivotally mounted on saidcas ing and extension and adapted for movement within said slot.

3. In a band cutter and feeder, an inclosing casing, a crank shaftrevolubly mounted in said casing, a knife frame journaled on said crankshaft having rearwardly extending, spaced arms, and a cutter pivotallymounted on said casing and knife frame arms and adapted for movementbetween said spaced arms.

4. In a band cutter and feeder, an inolosing casing, a crank shaftrevolubly mounted in said casing, a knife frame journaled on said crankshaft. having a slotted extension, a hanger pivotally mounted on saidcasing and knife frame extension and a cutter rigidly secured to saidhanger and adapted for movement within the slotted portion of the knifeframe extension.

5. In a band cutter and feeder, an inclosing casing, a crank shaftrevolubly mounted in said casing, a knife frame journaled on said crankshaft, rearwardly extending, spaced arms on said knife frame, a hangerpivotally mounted on said casing and arms, a V-shaped cutter bar havingone leg rigidly connected to said hanger and the free In testimonywhereof we aflix our signaleg projected between said arms, cutters 0ntures in presence of tWo Witnesses.

the free leg of said cutter bar, and means for HENRY H. N IGHTINGALE.actuating said crank shaft to oscillate said PETER B. JANTZ. hanger andmove the free leg of said cut- WVitnesses:

ter bar above and below said knifeframe MARGARET KANE,

arms. 7 1 J. R. JOHNSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. 0.

